Automatic cut-off.



Patented May 22, 1900.

A. w. nox. AUTOMATIC cur-arr.

(Application filed Nov. 29, 1895.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

NVENTOR:

Attorney.

WITNESSES: I

"cams vsrcns co. PNOT 0.. WASHINGTON u c No. 650,!79. Patented May 22, I900. A. W. KNOX.

AUTOMATIC CUT-0FF.

(Application filed Nov. 29; 1895.)

2 SheatsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES:

Attorney.

y @zwwazw PATENT OFFICE.

Annnaw w. KNOX, on NEW YoRK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC C:UT- OFF.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 650,179, dated May 22, 1900.

Application filed November 29, 1896. Serial No. 570,341. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that L'ANDREW W. KN'OX, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residin g in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Cut-Offs, of which the following 'is a specification.

My invention relates, in the main, to do Vices for automatically cutting off the watersupply to a building or to some part thereof when the valve or plug of the cock is released on locking up the building or room at night, the object of such devices being to insure the shutting off of the water at the closing hour, so that if a faucet in any of the rooms be left open accidentally there will be no overflow, and consequently no damage therefrom.

The object of the present invention is to provide a self-closing cut-oil? cock placed in the service-pipe at any part of the building the cellar or on any of the floors above- -and a controller placed in the business office or other convenient place under the eye of the proprietor or of some responsible person, whereby he may see at any time whether the porter has properly attended to his duties; also, to provide an improved cock or cut-off especially adapted for automatic operation.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the automatic cut-01f. This view shows the cock closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a part of the cutofi, showing the cock open; and Fig. 2 shows the valve detached. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the controller, and Fig. 3* a plan thereof. Fig. 4 is a section on line 004 in Fig. 1, showing the loop link in front elevation. Fig. 5 is a general view, on a small scale, illustrating the operation of the device and the connections between the cut-off cock and the controller. Fig. 6 shows the application of my invention to a common rotary spring-compression cock. Figs. 7 and 71 illustratethe preferred formof valve.

' Referring primarily to the first five figures of the drawings and particularly to Fig. 5, X

represents the service-pipe, which supplies water to a building. A is, in general, the on ted cook or device in said pipe, and B the controller. As here represented the cut-ofi device A is supposed to be on an upper floor and the controller B on a lower floor, in the ofiice.

The cut-off cock is normally closed by a spring or weight, or both, acting on a lever, and this lever is connected, through the medium of a wire or cord, with the lever of the controller, the drawings showing, in Fig. 5, an ordinary bell wire and cranks O to communicate the motion of the controller-lever to the lover of the cut-0E cock.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 4, I will now describe the cut-off device or cook. The body of the cock has a valve-chamber 1, an inletchamber 2, and an outlet-chamber 3. The service-pipe X screws in to the respective ends of the chambers 2 and 3, and in order that the same size of cut-oif cock may be employed with service-pipes of different sizes I prefer to make the cock of such 'size as to suit the largest size of service-pipe and to form fillets 4 in the outerends of the respective chambers 2 and 3, which fillets may be cut or bored away and screw-threaded to fit the size of service-pipe to be used.

The valve-chamber 1 is closed by a screwcap 5, and in the said chamber is fitted a coned rubber plug-valve 6. This valve is molded with a hollow to receive a metal stem 7, which has on its inserted end a ball or enlargement 7, which prevents the stem from beingreadily disengaged from the valve. On

the upper edge of the valve 6 is integrally formed an upwardly-flaring cup-diaphragm 6, the margin of which is clamped tightly between the cap 5 and the outer margin of the chamber 1, forming a hermetic joint. This diaphragm prevents leakage about the stem of the valve. The valve-stem 7 projects out and plays through an aperture in the cap 5, and when the valve is displaced, so as to open the cut-oh? cock, as seen in Fig. 2, an elevated annulus 6 on the valve bears on an elevated annulus 5 on the inner face of the cap 5 and forms a hermetic joint about the valve-stem. This will prevent leakage about the stem in case any of the water reaches this point when the cock is full open.

It is not necessary that the detachable stem 1 7 shall fit tightly in the aperture of the cap 5 through which it plays nor that it shall be packed at this point, as the cup-diaphragm on the valve preventsleakage. A little looseness in the attachment ofthe valve to the stem (see Fig. 7)

A is rather desirable than oth-.

erwise. V

In order to hold the valve closed, as in Fig.

.1, I employ a lever 8, fulcrumed at 8 in a bracket 1 on the body. One arm of the lever 8 engages a slotin the valve-stem 7 and on the other arm isv a weight 9, adapted by preference to be adjusted along thelever-arm thereto. In Fig. 1 I have also shown a spring 10, fixed to the bracket 1 and bearing on the lever arm. Either the spring or weight, or both, as shown, maybe employed to hold the cock normally closed. To that arm of the lever B which carries the weight is secured a loop-link 11, (see Figs.- 1 and 4,) adapted to embrace the service-pipe, and to the upper-end ofthis link is attached oneendof-the wireC, leading/to the con- Figs. 3 and 3 illustrate the construction of them-controller on a large scale.

Anattaching-platen, adapted to be screwed to the wallet the room, bears two rigid parallel arms 13, between which is pivotally mounted atx13 the-controller-lever 14. To one arm of'this lever is attached at 14 the other end of the wire 0, one end of which, as stated above, is secured to the loop-link 11, as seen in=iEig,'1. Now when the water is shut 01% at the-cock A, Fig.5, the lever 14.will stand as seen at B in Fig. 5, and when the-building is.

then the lever 13 will be set free, so that the weight- 9z-or spring will instantly act through the. lever. 8 and valve 6 to shut 0E the water. Thus the attendant cannot fail todo all that is necessary to shut off the waten-unless he determines to leave it on designedly, and there would be no object in this. As the controller-may be situated anywhere, itwill naturally be placed where the attendant will find it at hand when looking up and unlocking, and there will be no. inducement for neglecting it.

.Byplacin g the controller in the oifice,where itWill, be under the eye of the proprietor or of some one in. his confidence, he can ascertain at :aglance if the attendantiplaces the keyD ofrthe building between-the lever 14 and the abutment ontlre controller and not some other-thing; ,[Itshould be compulsorythat the kieyronly-v be so usedfi- It will ,be obvious that .thearms 13 serveas fixed ab'utmeuts between. whichjand the lever l4=ithe key-is*-placed,-.:and it is not important .that thesefabntments 5 should" be of extantlvthe-formshoivtr;

Respecting the valve 6, I would'say that where the pressure or head on the water is considerable the solid -rubber plug -.valve 6 (shown in Figs. 1 and 2) is apt to be dis- .cases the construction shown in Figs. 7 and 7, the former of which is avertical axial section and the latter a transverse section of the valve. In this construction an inverted cup 6, of metal, is molded in the rubber of the a skeleton furnishes to thebody of an animal. It will be noted that at'the plug of the valve the metal is overlaid by only a comparatively-thin layer of rubber, which is .designed to serve as a, packing to ,the valve. The diaphragm 6 (see Fig. 2) is not ruckled -when the valve is displaced, but lies smooth against the metal of the cap 5.

I have not deemed 1t necessary to show and controller B; butit will be obvious that the cock may, for example, be placed in the cellar and the controller be placed on one of the floors above. In that case thewire G,

the other arm of the lever'14 at 14". For con-.- venience merely and to adapt the controller arms 13 project symmetrically at both sides of the plate '12 and make the lever 14 of .the form shown, so that itnray be invertedior turned end for end at will. This constructionenables one form or pattern of the controller to be adapted for any situation. Any one accustomed to bell-hanging can arrange lar situation or conditions.

.illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2; but good results may be attained-withother forms .of cocks.

spring compression-cock15 may be employed. In this form of cook the way is opened by-rotating the stem 16 about one-fourth-of a revothe-stem. This arm is coupled by a link 18 to the lever 8, to the other arm of which the wire G is coupled. When the lever Sis released, the spring in the chamber of the cock rotates the plug or valve back to its-seat.

(see Fig. 1) is out of alinement with the-outlet-chamber 3,. so that when the valve-6 is seated and: the pressure of the wateris on the side thereof adjacent to chamberz, the lateral pressure on the valve will be resisted to a great degree by the wall 1 of the valvechamber opposite to the chamber 2. very important under conditions where the pressure or head of water is considerable. I

- Having thus described-my invention, I claim T V G I 1. In an automatic'cut-off for serv-ice-wa-.

pipe,- of an automatically-closing cock in'said pipe, saidcock having an opening-lever, of

valve to give it such a degree of stilfness as I more than one arrangement of the .cock A-- to various situations I prefer to make thethe wires and bell-cranks to suit the particu- I much prefer to employ the cut-61f. cock In Fig. 6 I have shown howair-ordinary This is tor, the combination-with-the water-service" placed, and to obviate this I prefer in all leading down to the cock, may be attached to -1 lution through the medium of an arm 17 on:

It will be noted'that the inlet-chamber2 7 cock, having an inlet, an outlet, a valve-' chamber, and a cap 5for said chamber provided with an aperture for the passage of the valve-stem and a raised annulus 5 about said aperture, of the said valve-stem, and the rubber valve 6, having a cup-diaphragm 6 clamped to the valve-chamber by the cap 5, and having a raised annulus 6 about the forth.

2. In an automatic cutoff for service-water, the combination with said service-pipe, and a cut-0E cock having a body connected withsaid pipe and a movable valve and stem,

of the opening-lever 8, a weight or spring adapted to close the cock automatically, a controller comprising an attaching-plate with arms 13, and a lever 14 pivotally mounted between said arms, and a connector between the levers S and 14, whereby when the lever 14 is operated to open the cut-ofi cock, its arm passes the abutment and permits the insertion of the key of the building between them to hold the cock open, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the body of the cock, having an inlet, an outlet, a valvechamber, and a cap therefor, of the rubber plug-valve 6, fitting in said chamber and having a cup-diaphragm 6, the margin of which is fixedly clamped between the cap and the margin of the valve-chamber, and the nonrotative, smooth stem of said valve extending out of said chamber, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

4. The combination with the body of the valve stem, adapted to seat on the cap when the cock is opened, substantially as set forth.

5. A cock having a plug-valve 6, of rubber, containing an embedded metal skeleton 6, in the form of an inverted metal cup with an aperture in its bottom for the passage of the valve-stem, substantially as set forth.

6. A cock having a rubber plug-valve 6, having a removable stem 7, pr0vided with a head 7, and having also a metal skeleton 6,

in the form of an inverted cup with an aperwitnesses.

ANDREW W. KNOX. Witnesses:

HENRY CONNETT, PETER A. Ross. 

